On March 26, 2023, Bharat Dynamics Ltd. (BDL), the Indian state missile manufacturer, successfully fielded a fire-and-forget man-portable anti-tank guided missile called Amogha-III. According to the company’s social media statement, all mission objectives were met successfully.
About AMOGHA-III Anti-Tank Guided Missile
Amogha-II is the second generation. A third-generation anti-tank missile’s nose contains an electro-optical imager (IIR), a laser, or a W-band radar seeker. These missiles are known as “fire and forget” missiles because they do not require additional guidance after being launched. This allows the operator to immediately retreat after firing the missile.
The Amogha-III fire-and-forget Anti-Tank Guided Missile was designed and developed in-house by BDL’s Research and Development Division. The missile has a maximum effective range of 2500 meters and a minimum effective range of 2500 meters (0.2 to 2.5 km). The Amogha-III missile has two ways of hitting the target: directly and from above (also called top attack). The Tandem warhead on the man-portable missile can penetrate Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) to a depth of over 650 millimeters. A tank typically has 500 mm or more armor in the front, where it is the strongest, and an anti-tank missile with 650 mm penetration takes care of the majority of these threats.
This model is equipped with a Dual Mode Imaging Infrared (IIR) Seeker. Some of the physical characteristics are the aerodynamic shape, thrust Vector Control, smokeless fuel, and signature-free Propulsion System. It is a soft launch missile, which means the motor fires after the missile is ejected from the tube launcher.
At Defence Expo 2022, BDL displayed Amogha-III, which was mounted on an Ashok Leyland light specialist vehicle. Ashok Leyland’s highly maneuverable light specialist vehicle, according to the company, has been modified to include the man-portable third-generation anti-tank guided weapon system Amogha – III. The company also stated that the modification allows for the rapid deployment of the man-portable anti-tank-guided weapon system over a greater distance.
Amogha-III weighed 18 kg during the exhibition, but BDL stated that the production model would be lighter, and the company intends to keep the missile’s weight between 15 and 16 kg. An Amogha-III missile, a tripod, and a command launch unit (CLU) with remote control capability comprise the entire missile system. The Amogha-III missile has a standard cylindrical fuselage with eight folding mid-body fins and four slightly larger aft fins for flight stabilization. Amogha-III has two predecessors, Amogha-1 and Amogha-2.
Amogha-1 Missile
The Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight (SACLOS) Amogha-1 is a second-generation Indian anti-tank guided missile with a range of up to 2.8 km and pinpoint accuracy. It is currently being developed by BDL and is the company’s first missile to be created and tested. A second-generation anti-tank missile is semi-automatically controlled. The operator is responsible for keeping the sight centered on the target until contact is made. There will be two missile variants produced; the land version has already been tested. Before engaging the target, the IR variant of the missile employs sophisticated thermal vision.
BDL also produces MP ATGM, which has the same specifications as Amogha-I but uses an IIR seeker. The third-generation MP ATGM is based on India’s Nag ATGM and was developed in-house by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). The maximum range of this missile is 2.5 kilometers, and the flight time is 17 seconds. An Ejection Motor is used to soft launch it from a canister. When it is deployed, the MPATGM will replace the Indian Army’s second-generation MILAN and 9M113 Konkurs ATGMs, which are currently used by infantry, paratroopers, and special forces.
Amogha-II Missile
The Amogha-II is a semi-automatic command-to-line-of-sight (SACLOS) Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) for mechanized infantry that employs radio frequency guidance. The missile was still in the early stages of development as of 2019. On October 14, 2017, a successful test firing of Amogha-II was conducted using a ground launcher. However, there is currently very little information available about the missile.
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